


Things You Can't Ask

by VegabondGloria



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Fluff, Gentleness, Hair Brushing, Hugs, Humor, Jesse stop trying to ride pegasi, Mid-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 04:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11866392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VegabondGloria/pseuds/VegabondGloria
Summary: It's been a while since they had a moment like this.





	Things You Can't Ask

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaseiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaseiki/gifts).



> I've been meaning to write a fic about Boey and Mae playing with each other's hair. I've had too many RPs where it happened not to do it ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

There had been an odd something that had cropped up between Mae, Celica, Genny, and Boey at the Priory. It had to do with each other’s hair.

Now according to society, all girls were supposedly fans of doing up one another’s hair for fun and guys liked to style their hair to look cool. But Mae could recall that they would—and on a rather frequent basis, mind you—often be doing something together like studying or just talking and, between any of them, at least _one person_ would be playing with another’s hair. And it was completely normal too. No one would question it. When they had first talked about how Zofia’s widespread famine had started to affect Novis, Genny was still toying with Boey’s feathery white locks as her expression twisted in worry. And the more Mae thought about it…

Well, the more Mae thought about it, the more she realized it had been a long time since something like that had happened. And she really missed it.

It was understandable as to why it had been a while, of course. War was a serious thing and there was no time to play with hair. Hell, it had been at least a week since the last time Mae had a chance to wash hers. But there was _something_ that had been oddly nice about those little moments where she had been able to fluff up Genny’s little curls. Or, if she had been on the receiving end, letting Celica tame those messy twintails of hers. The repetitive motions, the slight massage on one’s scalp, the different hair textures…It had been very relaxing whenever it happened and it had sorta shown the bond they shared with one another.

Gods, war sucked. She was already homesick enough and now thinking about a stupid lost pastime was making her mopey. And it wasn’t like she could just _ask_ someone if she could play with their hair or if they could play with hers. It had always just…happened!

Lips curved in a frown while she examined a greasy clump of pink pinched between her fingers. She really wanted it cleaned. Just a small rinse would be enough to bring some of the shine back…She shook her head with a groan and flopped back on the grass, arms spread out lazily. War came with sacrifices and hair things were sadly one of them. Off in the distance, one of the Whitewings’ pegasi whinnied and a scream that was _surely_ from Jesse followed.

War could also be strangely gentle at times. The battles were bitter, but the calm that followed afterwards when everyone was resting and patching up their wounds gave a reminder to what they were fighting for—it was peace above all else.

The nearby grass rustled. Mae didn’t need to look to know who it was; the gait and weight of his footsteps gave him away easily and her expression became a little brighter as she closed her eyes.

“And what’s the _bundle of energy_ doing out here?” Boey asked. The edge of his cape brushed against her cheek as he dropped to the ground beside her and she flashed a cheeky grin in reply.

“It’s a rest day, ain’t it? So I’m getting ready for a nap. What are _you_ doing out here?”

“I told Jesse I needed to find you to discuss mage things. He was trying to convince me that it’s perfectly possible for a man to ride a tamed pegasus without their rider present.”

“So that’s why he was screaming a minute ago,” Mae snorted. Boey shifted beside her with sigh.

“Retreating to a grassy hill to avoid another’s stupidity isn’t my cup of tea, but hey. It’s gotta mean _something_ if I’m coming to you.”

Mae’s eyes shot open and she snapped her gaze to him. “ _Excuse me?_ You calling me an idiot?”

Boey was leaning back on his palms and looked particularly smug in that moment as he glanced at her. “Whatever do you mean? I basically said you’re smarter than Jesse.”

“You know _exactly_ what you said, you jerk!” Playfully punching his shoulder wasn’t an option, so she gave him a gentle whack against his forearm instead. Boey scoffed.

“Ow, that hurt sooooo much.”

Okay, admittedly they both had to chuckle at that. Seriously, that wasn’t the best argument they had managed. They could do so, so much better. And although their shared laughter was warm and a joy to be had, the air between them quickly became silent and they just…sat there enjoying each other’s company. Or lay there in Mae’s case. She felt sorry for the poor saps who didn’t see this side to their relationship either way.

There was yet another whinny and another scream from Jesse. This time Catria joined in with some very stern yelling.

Mae didn’t notice it at first, but there was a slight tugging sensation at the tips of a twintail. She turned her head and saw Boey’s fingers toying with her pink locks while he stared ahead into space. Either he had been trying to absentmindedly grab at the grass and got her hair instead, or…

Oh. Now she had an idea.

Boey jolted as she suddenly sat up, her own fingers quickly reaching up to grab the gold ties and pull them loose in a fluid motion. Her hair falling over her shoulders and back probably wasn’t as graceful as she imagined in her head, but she still hoped it looked pleasing nonetheless.

“All yours,” she said with a hum. She even swerved her body so her back was to him for easy access. She was so nice, wasn’t she? Although Boey made an…admittedly odd noise. She couldn’t tell if it was one asking her _what the seven hells she was doing_ or if it was one trying to decide if he was going to take the bait.

He took it. Mae felt a pleasant warm tingle as a set of fingers gingerly ran through her hair once before doing so again…and again…and again...And soon a second set joined in. The thunder mage’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink when Boey laughed softly and he moved closer so he was sitting right behind her.

“You’re like a needy kitten…although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss this too.”

“Oh?” Mae asked in reply. His fingers brushed against her ear as he pulled some of her fringe back. “I guess we’ve just been too busy. Or you were too shy to ask.”

“You don’t ask for _this_ kind of thing,” Boey scoffed. “It’s…it’s a thing…that people do when they’re comfortable around each other.”

“True,” Mae said. Damn, kitten was a pretty comparison unfortunately. If she was one, she’d probably be purring right now. “Even now, you’re still nervous around Celica. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do this for her while she’s done it plenty of times for you.”

“Hey now!” Boey’s voice cracked. “Celica is a princess. You’re my…my…umm…you’re my companion! And fellow retainer to the rightful heir of Zofia’s throne. So you’re different.”

“Pfft, seriously Boey? That’s the best you can do to cover up your _baby crush?_ Your cheeks were _tomato red_ the first time you saw her! I know exactly what you think of her.” Ah yes, one of the few things she could be jealous of Celica for. She was pretty sure she’d never seen Boey look at her _that_ way. Probably because she was just a friend to him.

Lord, he was still combing through her hair—might even be braiding it now for all she knew—but Boey sounded damn near indignant as he spoke, complete with his voice quivering and constantly changing pitch. “I’m not denying I was _very_ flustered when we first met Celica. I mean she was cute, if a little sad. But a baby crush _is_ a baby crush. I grew out of it and now…now I have someone very different on my mind.”

Oh, that was interesting. If that was the case who could the lucky girl be? Genny? Maybe Silque? It was possible Boey was into older women—and part of the reason she had considered giving up the pigtails in the first place. Then again, her mother still wore them and she looked her age, though they were in a different style…

“Um, hypothetically Mae—just hypothetically,” she swore she’d heard these words from someone before as Boey twirled the pink strands. “Let’s say I were to confess to this girl I like, full and honest, that I want to stay with her no matter what. How do you think she would react?”

… Mae sucked in her breath. She didn’t know which girl he was talking about, but this wasn’t a time for joking or teasing about how likely it was he’d be rejected or what kind of girl would accept him.

“If you were _completely_ honest with her and spoke from your heart—as cheesy as that sounds, I know,” her fingers curled tightly into the folds of her skirt. “I’d say if she had the same feelings for you, she’d accept them wholeheartedly. Or if she didn’t, she’d be honest, but still respect them. She wouldn’t make any promises, but she’d see how things would go from there.”

The silence that followed was expected, but it was still alarming. Boey’s fingers stopped combing through her hair—an indicator that something had to be wrong—and Mae started to turn around to check if he hadn’t liked her answer. Instead, she flinched as his arms slid around her waist and he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, face becoming buried in her shoulder. “Not sure if that was enough to convince me to confess to her any time soon, but…”

“It wasn’t convincing, it was me giving my honest opinion,” Mae rolled her eyes. Thank Mila he wasn’t looking because her cheeks were redder than beets. Boey snorted.

“Yeah, I guess. At least I can ask for an opinion. Hair playing is another story.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I'm also only a little sane and awake enough to point out I didn't completely check for spelling errors or whatnot. Gomen.


End file.
